#3. Red Wine - 2021 Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas

94 Points - Wine Spectator:

"Powerful, with steeped plum and cherry coulis merging with potpourri and charred garrigue on a ripe, lush palate. Packs a wall of iron that provides a ballast for the ripe fruit, while refined tannins build in intensity. Long and complex, with a gorgeous expression of place. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2040. 930 cases imported." - KB (Dec 2023)

94 Points - James Suckling:

"This rich and impeccably balanced Gigondas has everything we look for in the wines of this appellation. What a wide spectrum of aromas with everything from raspberry to candied orange, plus a slew of delicate spicy notes and fresh Mediterranean herbs. I love the interplay of richness, fine tannins and lively acidity on the generous, but not expansive palate. Very long, refined finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold." (Apr 2023)

94 Points - Vinous:

"Deep magenta. High-toned cherry and blackberry aromas show very good clarity with black pepper and smoky mineral accents. Shows firm tension and a spicy cut to its gentle sweet red and dark berry, bitter chocolate and succulent herb flavors. Youthfully gripping tannins lend framework to a long, smoky finish that echoes the spice and floral notes. This is textbook Gigondas, raised in a combination of one-third concrete tanks and two-thirds large oak barrels, 20% of those new." - Josh Raynolds (Jan 2023)

#4. White Wine - 2022 Jean-Phillipe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc

More than many of his peers, Jean-Philippe Fichet works to test the limits of transparency, exploring the very soul of Meursault terroirs. If Burgundy is a terroir-lovers haven, it was in fact Meursault’s destiny to have its soils revealed in this way: their intense stoniness is magnified by an exceptionally low water table that forces the roots of the vines deep underground to reveal the depths and mysteries that lie underneath that make these wines so unique.

While the "minerality" of Meursault is its calling card, Fichet feels that FRUIT should never be an afterthought. While it has become somewhat of a trend in the Côte de Beaune to pick quite early in search of acidic cut, he is also not afraid of ripeness and believes it to be essential to achieving balance. In his opinion, lean, underripe wines do not do justice to the indiviudual terroirs. In explaining his views on physiological ripeness, Fichet is looking for that "optimum moment" when all the components are in perfect harmony.